bad faith
Americannoun
noun
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intention to deceive; treachery or dishonesty (esp in the phrase in bad faith )
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Also called: mauvaise foi. (in the philosophy of the 20th-century French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre) self-deception, as when an agent regards his actions as conditioned by circumstances or conventions in order to evade his own responsibility for choosing them freely
Other Word Forms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But she determined in Monday’s ruling that she still had inherent authority to impose sanctions because the original lawsuit was filed in bad faith.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Either bad faith or fiscal responsibility, depending on the budget that year,” Groban said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
She’s aware she’s being betrayed by the bad faith of her family; she’s cognizant of being vulnerable to an inappropriate affection for the one person who trusts her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Theodore Boutrous, a Times lawyer, accused the administration at a hearing before Friedman in a Washington court on Monday of "gaslighting" and "bad faith."
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
“Yes, you’re right,” Jaime would grudgingly admit with a rectitude that prevented him from arguing in bad faith.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
